NORWICH – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s announcement Wednesday that January Regents Exams will continue through 2012 may have thrown a wrench in the gears in regards to the ongoing scheduling debate at Norwich High School.
Thanks to a private funding effort – which resulted in $1.5 million in donations – schools across the state will once again offer Regents Exams in January, according to a NYS Education Department spokesman. In June, the NYSED announced its decision to eliminate the January exams due to state budget cuts.
Prior to that announcement, on Tuesday night, a group of approximately 30 students, parents and teachers met with Norwich Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan, continuing to voice their disapproval of the district’s scheduling changes. Those changes, O’Sullivan said Tuesday, were a direct result of the January Regents’ elimination. With Mayor Bloomberg’s announcement yesterday, it may be back to the drawing board.
“This came completely out of left field and we have some things to consider,” said O’Sullivan following Bloomberg’s announcement. “We have a lot of unanswered questions out there. How will this affect our budget? Our staffing? Is this a one-shot deal? We’ve got a problem, but we’ve got some very good people. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but we’ll figure it out.”
The schedule – as it stands now – would include an elementary school day which would run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the middle and high schools meeting from 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Class time at the middle and high schools would remain the same, at 84 minutes per class, and lunch periods would be reduced from 40 to 30 minutes. From 2:15 to 2:45 p.m., teachers at the middle and high schools would have a half hour of collaboration time, something the superintendent said has been requested from teachers across the board.
“This is something new and something the teachers are asking for,” added O’Sullivan. “It’s absolutely critical and we need this time.”
The change to the elementary school schedule would result in an extra half hour of instructional time for those students, he added.
Parents, students and educators involved with the high school’s music program, however, have been vocal over the past month in their opposition to the scheduling changes, which would result in the orchestra, band and choir ensembles meeting during the same 40-minute block every day. According to orchestra director Mark Sands, the schedule would negatively impact approximately 50 percent of the orchestra’s students, 25 percent of band students an 33 percent of mixed choir students.
“Of course, 100 percent of the students in these ensembles are really affected due to the amount of students missing class every other day,” added Sands. “If we were talking about a sports team, it would be very hard to be competitive. If we were talking about a Regents class, what would the passing percentage be?”
Students – including those involved in the music program – would have the option to stay after school, between 2:15 and 2:45 p.m., and put in some extra study time, said O’Sullivan, and transportation would be provided by the district in those cases. In addition, if teachers in the music program wished to schedule that extra time with students prior to an important performance, such as the school’s annual musical production or its spring concerts, the superintendent said he would be happy to help in any way he could.
“They will have the option to use that time,” he added. “If they’re passionate and dedicated, I’ll give them the chance.”
With January Regents back in the mix, however, nothing is for certain, including the current schedule, said O’Sullivan.
“We’ve been working on the existing schedule for months and school starts in a month. We’ve got to go back at look at everything,” he added. “This is the type of distraction you don’t need.”